It's Never Easy to Say Goodbye
by KattyBorz
Summary: Kunimitsu Tezuka struggles after the loss of someone he holds dear.


**I****t's ****N****ever ****E****asy to ****S****ay ****G****oodbye**

**T****ezuka was staring off into the sun that was setting. He and Oishi were on their way back from the first day in the tournament. Oishi watched Tezuka carefully. It was a year ago today since she had left them. The bus stopped and two people climbed on board. Tezuka didn't notice them until he heard her name.**

**"Did you hear?" One of them whispered to the other.**

**"Hear what?" The other asked.**

**"About…Her."**

**"Who? Takara Koriyama?" The second said loudly.**

**"Sush!" The first hissed. "He's right over there."**

**They both turned to see if he heard. Tezuka kept staring out the window, his face expressionless. He heard every word. There was a pang in his heart where she left a hole. It's been a year, so it didn't cause him too much pain. But the edges still tingled when the wind blew through it.**

**"It's a shame she died." The second said carelessly loud. "She was so much to be around."**

**"Shut it crack-head!" The first hit his friend on the head. "You are so insensitive! Imagine what they went through? The family left Japan because everything reminded them of her. They moved to America. Which doesn't make much sense, because that's where she wanted to go this summer. I guess she never really left them."**

**His companion nodded.**

**Tezuka closed his eyes. He tried to push out the voices, once he succeeded he remembered her.**

Tezuka was reading a magazine on tennis. He didn't see her coming, but suddenly she was there. She took off his glasses and covered his eyes. He smiled and waited for her to say something.

"Guess who?" She asked in a low rough voice. He could hear her holding back the laughter.

"Um," he said pretending to not know. "Is it…Sakuno?"

"No." She answered in the same voice.

"Kaede Misora?" Tezuka guessed again.

The hands over his eyes disappeared and he put on his glasses. "Who?" She asked in a sad tone. Tezuka turned to look at her. She was pouting.

"No one important to me." Tezuka said reassuring her. She perked up.

"Really?" She asked. "I'm important to you?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you didn't not say it." She said.

There was a pause. "What?" Tezuka asked not understanding her sentence.

"Yay!" She cheered. "I'm important to Kunimitsu!"

Tezuka laughed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me, hug me, kiss me, or D all of the above?" She counted them on her fingers.

Tezuka pause for a minute, pretending to think over the options. "Hmm. How about hug you."

Her jaw dropped. "That's not fair Kuni!"

"All's fair in love and war." He quoted.

"Ah, shut it." She snapped. "I hate that saying."

He laughed and stood up.

"Where are you going?" She complained.

"Nowhere, not without you."

She jumped up and grabbed his hand.

**Tezuka smiled inwardly at the memory. He'd taken her to the park and they talked for hours. It was where they had shared their first kiss. He remembered how red her face was. For weeks, he was teased and mocked by the Seigaku Regulars. Then when he got fed up with it, he made them run laps. It was nothing compared to what Takara had to put up with every day. Every day, all the girls in school would yell at her and threaten her. He had no idea that this was happening until she ran up to him in tears. She complained that Tezuka doesn't protect her. She yelled at him. She screamed that he didn't care, that he wouldn't hold her hand in public or show any display of affection toward her. After she got it off her chest she balled her eyes out. He held her. That very next day, Kunimitsu Tezuka held her hand all day. When someone came up and started criticizing or threatening her, he would tell them to move on.**

**The best memory he had of her was when they went to dinner with the Regulars.**

"Are you sure this will be safe?" Takara asked unsure.

"Yes, I'm fairly sure that it will be safe." Tezuka said for the tenth time that day.

"Fairly? Why fairly?" Takara was in total panic mode. "Momo's coming, isn't he? Oh God. I'm leaving. No, that would give him a reason to bug me for the rest of my life. But Eiji is going to be there too…My best chances is to run. But they'd hunt me down and corner me. Man, talk about a catch 22." She made dinner sound like a plan to kidnap her.

Tezuka chuckled at her uneasiness. She glared at him. "They'll be on their best behavior. Scout's honor."

"There's just one small thing wrong with that."

"What?"

"You're not a scout." She said walking through the door he held open for her. He looked at her amazed.

**Dinner was the least of their problems. A week later, Takara started missing school. When she did come, she looked horrible. She was pale and looked fragile. Tezuka was worried. She didn't know why she was so sick. After a month Tezuka made her go and see a doctor against her will. She was against the whole doctors-needles-old-people-smell-and-all-the-ghosts-of-the-people-that-died-of-illnesses. When she had told Tezuka this he was amazed. Nonetheless, he made her go. The only way she would go, is if he went with her. He did and they found out that she had cancer. He held her hand when they gave a rough estimate on how long she'd have. If he'd known that they were far off…**

Takara was silent. Tezuka wanted to know what she was thinking but thought better of it. He didn't want to interrupt her thinking. But it got unbearable. He was just about to ask when she spoke.

"I never would've thought that I would have Leukemia." She muttered.

The doctor had said that she had chronic myelogenous leukemia. That means that she has too many white blood cells. The life expectancy was at least 5 to 7 years. The doctor said it seemed like she had it for a good 4 years. Why she didn't notice the symptoms, no one knows. But it claimed 4 of Tezuka's precious 7 years, if he even had that long. Tezuka bowed his head. If only he could have more time. That's all he wanted.

**The bus stopped and Tezuka got out. He didn't know where he was, he couldn't stand being in the bus any longer. He could feel Oishi's eyes on his back as he got up and left. The leukemia didn't only take away 4 of the 7 years of his time with her, it took her away from him. He started walking, not knowing or caring where he went. Eventually, his feet took him home. He ran to his room and grabbed a CD out from under his bed. He put it in the CD player and listened to the song. It was Takara's favorite artist from America. Tezuka knew enough English to understand what he was saying.**

_Jimmy climbs on board of that old yellow bus,  
>It sure looks big in his little eyes.<br>His mama waits as her tears kick up the dust.  
>It's never easy to say goodbye.<br>Julie Rae in her pearl white wedding gown  
>Has found her wigns and its time to fly<br>It's all her dad can do to keep from breakin down  
>It's never easy to say goodbye<em>

It ain't easy, to ever say goodbye  
>It ain't easy lettin go of the ones you love<br>But belive me we'll meet again by and by  
>If not here somewhere up above.<p>

I've had friends that ive lost along the way  
>They've been called on down the line<br>Though their time was short  
>I still think bout them everyday<br>It aint easy to say good bye

It ain't easy, to ever say goodbye  
>It ain't easy lettin go of the ones you love<br>But belive me we'll meet again by and by  
>If not here somewhere up above.<p>

The time has come to go our seperate ways  
>And its alright if you wanna cry<br>Though i know we'll meet again someday  
>Its never easy to say good bye<p>

It ain't easy, to ever say goodbye  
>It ain't easy lettin go of the ones you love<br>But believe me we'll meet again by and by  
>If not here, somewhere up above<p>

If not here somewhere up above

**A single tear fell from Tezuka's eyes. How he missed her.**

* * *

><p><strong>This is a very old story I wrote a long time ago. I thought I'd give it some time in the spotlight. Hope you like it. :) Reviews por favor?<strong>


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